The Luxe is a young adult novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by author Anna Godbersen

Anna Godbersen

Anna Godbersen is an American writer. She is the author of the series The Luxe, with The Luxe, the first book in the series, being her debut novel. The first book in her new series, Bright Young Things, was released on October 12, 2010.-Personal life:Anna Godbersen was born in Berkeley, California...

. It follows the lives of Manhattan's

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 upper class in 1899. The introduction centers around two sisters, one of whom is said to have died after being thrown from her friend's carriage into the Hudson

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

. It was published in 2007.

Plot summary

Elizabeth Holland, the main character, is first introduced in the midst of a Manhattan ballroom scene. Her sister Diana, also at the party, is seen kissing a stranger, by the name of James Haverton. Soon, the engagement of Elizabeth Holland and Henry Schoonmaker, arranged by Schoonmaker's wealthy father William and Elizabeth's strict mother, occupies high society as the cast of characters variously anticipate and dread the marriage. Elizabeth must apologize to her friend, Penelope, whose lover she is engaged to marry before going about with preparations for the highly anticipated wedding. Henry, meanwhile, feels reluctant to betray Penelope. The day Henry goes to tell Elizabeth about the planned arranged marriage, he meets Diana, whom he instantly falls in love with. When Henry fails to escort Elizabeth to a ball, his father decides to move up the wedding date to add pressure. Later that night, Penelope visits the engaged Henry at home, in hopes of seducing him. She has no success.

The romantic tensions of The Luxe heighten when Elizabeth's coachman and lover, William Keller, decides to move to California for business. While she is at a party, Will writes Elizabeth a letter informing her of his departure: "I am going to California and I can only pray that I will one day see you there..." When Elizabeth returns home after the party, she is finds that Will has already gone and she will have to endure Henry as a husband. When the maid Lina discovers the letter, she takes off to find Will, because she too is in love with him. When Lina discovers she had no money for a train to California, she returns to the Hollands' homestead feeling dejected (like she should). In the end of the novel however, Lina tells Penelope about Will and Elizabeth in exchange for money and a hotel to stay in. Henry meanwhile, is struggling between doing what he must, which is marry Elizabeth, and following his heart, which means being with Diana. He later invites Diana to his greenhouse, where they spend the night trading secrets and kisses. Elizabeth discovers their secret love affair when she spots Diana leaving Henry's carriage on a corner street of Manhattan. Elizabeth then turns to Penelope, who has blackmailed her into faking her own death, and Elizabeth manages to take a train to California to join her true love, Will Keller.

The Socialites

• Elizabeth Holland must choose between the family duty of an arranged marriage and true love. Elizabeth, 18 years old, is described as angelic, with ash blond hair and brown eyes. She does everything she is told, and obeys her mother. She secretly spends long passionate nights with her stable boy, Will, but she has to marry Henry Schoonmaker to save her family from becoming poor.
• Diana Holland considers herself the romantic Holland sister. Diana is a 16 year-old with a rebellious streak that, Elizabeth believes, stems from the fact that she did not have a very refined coming out party. Diana has wild, chestnut brown curls and features similar to her sister, pale skin and brown eyes. Not one to follow rules,but she is often seen with her nose in a book, her only getaway from what she thinks is a dull and ridiculous life. She falls in love with her sister's fiance, Henry Schoonmaker.

• Penelope Hayes is beautiful, talented, and conceited. Penelope has dramatic blue eyes, full red lips, pale skin, and dark black hair. Her only real feelings for Henry Schoonmaker are for his money, prestige, and his impeccable handsomness, which she covets for her own. His decision to marry Elizabeth shocks her, but she quickly recovers and schemes to get him back; as she tells it, she would rather see Elizabeth dead before she marries Henry. Determined to look out for her own welfare, her schemes are for her personal gain.

• Henry Schoonmaker is the most well-known bachelor on New York's social scene. He is exceedingly handsome and charming, with dark hair that is always neatly pomaded to the right, golden skin, an elegant aristocratic jawline, and dark, worldy eyes. His father, who wants to run for mayor, decides that Henry needs to marry, arranging for him to wed Elizabeth Holland. While at the Hollands' house he becomes infatuated with Diana Holland. Known for his trouble maker's lilt, free spirited, and often spotted with a drink in hand, he has had relationships with many women in New York, including Penelope Hayes.

• Teddy Cutting is a kind, wealthy young man who has had a crush on Elizabeth for many years. He's light-hearted and proposed to Elizabeth twice without being taken seriously. He is the good friend of Henry Shoonmaker and the more sensible of the two.Teddy has blonde hair and serious gray eyes.

The Lower Class

• William Keller is Elizabeth's secret lover who works for the Holland family as their coachman. He loves her and wants her to come away with him. Elizabeth isn't sure about leaving her life and running away. He is also very handsome with dark hair, blue eyes, and a crooked nose.

• Lina Broud is Elizabeth Holland's maid. Lina has served Elizabeth for years, but the friendship they used to cherish as children has disappeared since Elizabeth's arrival on the social scene. She is desperately in love with Will, and when Lina discovers Elizabeth's engagement to Henry, she soon harbors hatred for her because Lina also knows of Elizabeth's secret love affair with Will. Lina has plain brown hair, sage green eyes and freckled skin.

• Claire Broud is Lina's older sister. Claire is a proper maid who relishes the gossip of the upper class and is truly fond of Diana, her mistress. Despite her love of gossip, she is very loyal to the Hollands. Claire has red hair.

Reception

Having been on the New York Times Bestsellers list in December 2007 for four weeks, The Luxe has had an overall positive response from readers. However, there have been various opposing opinions stating the book has many flaws.

External links

• The Luxe Series Official Website